Clinton Kelly

Oh, ladies and gentlemen this was the highlight of the trip for me. If you don't know who Clinton Kelly is (oh dear) he is co-host of TLC's fabulous What Not To Wear. I have been watching this show for years and years. It isn't always obvious that I do but I love the show. For most of the conference sessions and keynote speakers I sat in the back by the door in order to make a speedy exit. Not for this one folks! I got there 30 minutes early to get a seat in the front row. I wasn't the only one who had this idea but I did get a second row seat that was just as perfect. Everyone around me was talking about how much they stressed over their outfit choice for the day. I did not stress because I knew I wouldn't have time to buy his book and get it signed. Mom and I were planning on taking a trolley tour that afternoon (more to follow on that) so I wore jeans and a hoodie (more to follow on that too). He walked onto the stage to huge applause. Everyone was in attendance for this presentation. The attendance for the other keynote speakers was fairly good but Clinton won the prize.

He opened with a joke about Martha Stewart giving a speech at an architecture conference so him speaking at a librarian conference couldn't be a worse fit than that. However, we all know that librarians need tremendous amounts of help in the area of fashion. I don't think there is a profession that is more widely thought of as poor dressers than librarians.
First of all, Clinton is an excellent speaker. We were hanging on his every word. He had the audience laughing and clapping about every 30 seconds. He gave tips on style and confidence, age appropriate clothing and even a little financial advice.
He did comment that Crocs, pajama pants, and hoodies were inappropriate to wear outside the house. This was repeated about 3 times and with each mention of "hoodie" I sunk a little lower in my chair. I'm glad it was dark in the auditorium. When the presentation was over I dreaded getting out of my seat for fear that tomatoes would be thrown at me as I walked away.
He was dressed beautifully, as you could have guessed and can see. The line for his book signing was about 50 people deep so they obviously started lining up before his presentation was over. I would have loved to meet him and shake his hand and I know we would've become the best of friends but I didn't have time (okay, I chickened out a little because of my attire, but just a little).
It was a blast getting to see him in person and I wish I could fly to London and hang out with him for the Royal Wedding coverage. I discussed the experience and the genius of What Not To Wear with my Uncle and his girlfriend during their visit last week. I think my dad wanted to rip his ears off.